I have just returned from a trip to Melbourne with my little 4 yo. My son had to stay behind. He was a little peeved - and showed it by being quite quiet and withdrawn. He was not overly expressive but he did ask why he was being left behind.

There were many reasons of course, one of which was that he has school. And I really did not want him to miss school.  And the other one that I didn't tell him was that I could not manage 2 on my own. He is very active and demands a lot of physical activity. I wanted a calm, easy holiday to go shopping and strolling. My little girl allows me to do that. However, I am aware that Sam feels isolated and I feel very bad about that.